Spring City man accused of turfing' park next to police station

SPRING CITY — A borough man was charged with vandalism after his truck somehow ended up in the park next to the Spring City Police Station and left tire tracks through the grass there.

Around 5:40 p.m. on Dec. 27, a passing motoris told a Spring City police officer that he’d just seen a white truck “turfing” the park.

When he investigated, the officer reportedly found “a large amount of tire tracks” damaging the park. He also noticed that the tracks left a “definitive” path to a white truck parked on the 200 block of Airy Street.

The officer said there was fresh mud on the truck and the driver’s side door was open.

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When the officer approached the truck, he said he was “confronted” by Robert Charles Smith Jr. who “appeared to be highly intoxicated and was having trouble standing or walking.” The officer could also smell alcohol “emanating from his person.”

Smith, 54, reportedly told the officer that he was working on his truck when it “somehow” slid out of gear and down the hill. Retrieving it, Smith said he drove the truck back up the hill.

When asked how the truck could have come out of gear, the officer said Smith was “confused and would not answer my questions.”

The officer escorted Smith to his home and turned him over to his wife.

Smith will face charges of institutional vandalism, public drunkenness and trespass. A preliminary hearing is slated for the end of February with Magisterial District Justice James Deangelo.

About the Author

Frank Otto is a general assignment reporter covering Phoenixville, Limerick and Spring-Ford schools in addition to features and spot news. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Otto moonlights with the sports department on occasion. Reach the author at fotto@pottsmerc.com
or follow Frank on Twitter: @fottojourno.